The reopening of Circle Food Store in New Orleans is part of the city's commitment to improve the business and economic infrastructure of the Seventh Ward after the devastating effects of Hurricane Katrina.  A predominately African American, low- to moderate-income community, many residents struggle to access healthy food. With funding from the New Orleans Fresh Food Retailer Initiative (FFRI) along with an Economic Development Fund grant from the city and a loan from the Louisiana Office of Community Development, Circle Food Store owner Dwayne Boudreaux was able to finance the reopening and renovation of Circle Foods and help create 65 full- and part-time jobs for the community with 95 percent of these positions filled by local residents.

Bottino's is a family-run independent grocery chain in southern New Jersey. In the market for a new location to replace their small and obsolete Vineland supermarket, they found property located on a blighted commercial corridor which led into Vineland’s historic downtown area. Officials recognized that a new supermarket at this location could catalyze the revitalization of this area of the city. With financial assistance from The Reinvestment Fund and the New Jersey Food Access Initiative, Bottino's was able to open a 74,000-square-foot supermarket.

The Healthy Neighborhood Store project (HNS) in Omaha, Nebraska is working to improve access to healthy food for the one-third of Douglas County residents by partnering with small neighborhood stores to improve healthy food offerings and support community health. HNS is working with 10 stores ranging in size from three to 45 employees, and reaching 50,000 low-income Omaha residents. As a result of these efforts, HNS has improved sales of healthy items in these stores, while changing customers’ perceptions toward neighborhood store food offerings.

Fare & Square is the culmination of numerous attempts to attract healthy food retailers to the severely distressed city of Chester, PA. Owned and operated by Philabundance, a nonprofit hunger relief organization, this 16,000-square-foot, nonprofit grocery store offers shoppers convenient access to “good food right around the corner” that has not been available in a grocery store format for more than a decade.

Mariposa Food Co-op operates as a full-service, cooperatively-owned and -operated grocery store in Philadelphia, PA. With more than 1,500 members they are active leaders in the cooperative movement. They currently employ 45 people, making them one of the neighborhood’s largest employers. This profile highlights the Co-op's impact on the local community and the funding and financing behind their recent expansion.

Common Market is a regional food hub in Philadelphia, PA. Their mission is to strengthen regional farms by connecting farmers to over 150 public and private institutions. This profile includes project highlights and impacts.

Green City Growers Cooperative (GCGC) is a cooperative urban greenhouse in the heart of Cleveland, Ohio. GCGC provides an example of an innovative and employee-owned food production enterprise that is revitalizing Cleveland’s Central neighborhood while providing quality employment opportunities, building community wealth and assets, and promoting healthy food access both in the neighborhood and citywide.

CEI and Wholesome Wave collaborated on providing business development assistance and “patient capital” to Farm Fresh Rhode Island.  The financing deal allows Farm Fresh Rhode Island to nearly double its produce storage and significantly expand its Market Mobile and Veggie Box programs, which enable thousands of families to access local, fresh food from dozens of family farms across New England.

The Local Initiatives Support Corporation New York City (LISC NYC) has launched a three-year pilot program to help low-income families in New York live longer and healthier by expanding access to healthy food in disadvantaged neighborhoods. Called Communities for Healthy Food NYC, the new program connects to broader LISC NYC efforts to revitalize struggling communities and improve overall quality of life. It focuses both on locating healthy food outlets in places without them and educating residents about nutrition, food preparation and overall health.

ChangeLab Solutions developed this guide to provide an overview of farmers’ market policy issues and community tested best practices. This guide for local government staff (planners, public health departments, etc.), elected officials, farmers’ market managers, food policy councils, and other stakeholders, to provide practical guidance and tools that communities can customize to create more farmers’ market opportunities and to ensure their long-term viability.